Olympics: Germany picks Munich for Summer Games bid

Olympics: Germany picks Munich for Summer Games bidSince the last time the Summer Games were on German soil in 1972, Germany has launched seven unsuccessful bids to host.Munich has been selected ahead of the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region by the German Olympic Committee (DOSB) as part of a bid to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic Games.The decision was announced by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday in the southwestern spa town of Baden-Baden.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Pressure to boycott Israel game grows as Ireland preparations stalllist 2 of 3Fury says boxing bout with Joshua in jeopardy over promoters’ clashlist 3 of 3Manchester City face ‘drastic’ sanctions, says club’s former chairmanend of listLaunched as a race between four candidates, the DOSB was given a choice between two after Berlin withdrew on Thursday and Hamburg’s withdrawal in May.“We’re thinking about all of Germany,” Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said on stage after Munich’s successful bid was announced.“The Cologne bid made things really tough for us and pretty tense until the end.“I want that we work jointly to bring the games to Germany. It is a chance at something historic, and we want to give everything to present ourselves as a united country – from north to south and from east to west.“That’s our goal and what we’re working towards. Thank you for the trust.”German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier poses with athletes during the extraordinary German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) general assembly at Kurhaus Baden-Baden [Alex Grimm/Getty Images]The Munich bid centres on the Olympic Park in the north of the city. Built for the 1972 Games, it has undergone extensive renovations in recent years.In a statement issued moments after the announcement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Munich.“Germany has an Olympic candidate. Munich will enter the race on our behalf, and I warmly congratulate the state capital and the Free State of Bavaria on this,” he said.